By OGJ editors
WASHINGTON, DC, Jan. 15 -- The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board Wednesday said it has sent two of its investigators to the site of a Jan. 11 explosion and fire at a Huntsman Petrochemical Corp. plant in Port Neches, Tex., near the Louisiana border.
Depending on their initial findings, the agency may conduct a more detailed investigation to determine the root causes of the event, a CSB statement said.
CSB said that the accident reportedly sent two workers to the hospital with second-degree burns and caused minor injuries to several others. The explosion and fire apparently occurred during a maintenance shutdown operation in the plant that produces propylene oxide and methyl tertiary butyl ether.
A Huntsman spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment but the company web site says the plant typically produces 27,000 b/d of MTBE, a fuel additive often used for reformulated gasoline.
CSB Chairman Carolyn Merritt said, "Accidents that occur during plant maintenance are an important concern of the Board. Since 1998, the Board has investigated six significant chemical accidents that occurred during shutdown periods or maintenance work, and five of these resulted in fatalities."
CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
The board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to plants, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies, including the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration.